DRAGONS

We read stories about brave knights slaying dragons to protect a village or protect a kingdom winning the hand of the kings daughter. In these stories the dragon is evil, something feared and must be destroyed. I read in literature of asian cultures and find the dragon is a symbol of strength, honor and beauty. So which is it? I believe we all have dragons of our own at various points in our lives. Some are habits and consequences of choices. These dragons we must slay if we are to have joy or peace in our lives. We also have dragons that are the result of rising to a challenge or discovering an unknown talent. They are strength, beauty and symbols of our reliability and honor. Our task in life is to reduce the unwanted and undesirable dragons while increasing the desired ones. 

BUTTER AND HEAT

The farther away we keep butter from heat, the better the chances it will keep its form. If you move butter close to a source of heat, it begins to melt. Like butter, we are vulnerable to the heat sources in our lives that are our weaknesses. It's important to know our particular areas of weakness. If we avoid the people, places, and things where we are likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors, we remain solid instead of melting and giving in.  We are like a solid block of butter and can remain solid if we stay away from the heat of our weaknesses. 

ONE GREAT DREAM?

We hear from motivational speakers that we need to have a goal, a dream. This teaching focuses on the accomplishment of that one great mission. Being here at Disney World, I am reminded of Walt's dream. His dream was to stretch the imagination and for the fulfillment of each dream to lead to the creation of a new dream. Always have a dream toward which you are moving and working. There should never be an end point or final point of arrival. I believe that is called death. Revitalize your dreams. Imagine new and even greater dreams. Keep moving, growing, learning, laughing and dreaming.

AN ART IN LISTENING

Receiving desired guidance is such a pleasant and fulfilling experience. In times of challenge or decision, guidance is so essential and valuable. Sometimes the attempt to receive guidance can be frustrating and difficult. We may formulate just the right questions for our subconscious yet aren't getting answers. We may seek direction from our creator or universal consciousness and just aren't getting anything. An essential part of the process is listening. If I think my car is making a strange sound, I want to listen for the sound so I can tell what it is and where it's coming from. If I drive and listen for the sound without turning down my music or I continue singing while listening, how successful am I going to be? When listening for guidance or answers its important to remove static and intrusive input so we can not only hear, but hear well. Remove distractions. Turn off the television, turn off the radio, put down the unrelated book or magazine. Listen, just listen. With the stereo off and being quite, I can then hear the strange noise coming from my car and possibly where it's coming from. If you ask a question, of any source, listen and truly listen for the response. 

IMAGINATION

I am presently in the middle of a six day visit to Walt Disney World. My wife and I  are here with our two teenage boys and their best friends. As we watch the boys experiencing many Disney adventures for the first time, I am impressed with Walt's tremendous imagination and his desire to share that vision with others. There seems to be a continual underlying theme with every adventure; nothing is impossible and we each possess an imagination that allows us to make our lives a struggle or a joy. We have the potential to not only greatly impact our world, but we can create a world that richly blesses us through greatly blessing others. Imagine how you'd like your life to be, then don't make it, allow it to become that way.  

CONFIDENCE?

Our confidence or lack thereof is revealed  in our speech. The words we use mirror how we see ourselves. Ten words that convey a lack of confidence to the listener are; 1) MIGHT- I might do something. 2) WON'T - simply refusing. 3) USUALLY - I usually do a pretty good job. 4) SUSPECT - avoid using 'suspect' anything. 5) IMPOSSIBLE -reeks   of weakness 6) WORRIED - worried about an outcome or result. 7) CONFUSED - indecisive or conflicted on a course of action. 8) NEED - frequent mention of ones needs. 9) QUANDARY - simple and subtle chaos. 10) LIKELY - I'll most likely look for a better job.

Do you recognize any of these words in your daily vocabulary? In your life, today, is confidence an issue?

WHAT DO YOU SEE?

If people aren't laughing at your dreams, your dreams aren't big enough. We each have unique individual genetic make up and life experiences. Our perception is greatly affected by our beliefs and expectations. We need to periodically reassess our beliefs and expectations. If we neglect to do so, we may leave great talent or interests dormant and untouched within ourselves. The image with this blog post is street art Created by an artist who didn't know until later in life of his interest and talent. It looks so real! Reassess, then "Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid."